Just got back from an action packed weekend in the forestry around retreat area. The Excel once again proved its worth by giving me a result of 1st in class and 14th outright. Which is not to bad considering it is a gravel hill-climb and the best combination for a hillclimb is a high powered rear wheel drive/four wheel drive, and the the Excel is everything but that.
The first run I was very cautious just trying to find grip levels and get used to the corners. There was a few corners that could catch you out, one including a 3rd gear long left hander. The track had two chicanes and getting into and out of them as quick as possible was difficult aswell. My second run I shaved over 6 seconds of and started to feel a little more confident in the car. Then I was slightly improving on my times throughout the rest of the runs. Throughout the day I was trying some different lines, finding not much time gain but some lines felt better inside the car than others. Overall the event was fantastic (thanks MSCT organizers and officials). The hillclimb was a good size with each pass taking a little under 2 minutes.
Results:
At the end of the day Adrian Morrisby won in his Subaru Forrester (4-wheel drive), although I was only 4 seconds behind total. The car ran very well and the car got some attention with its newly added roll cage and exhaust system (thanks Simon). Next event is a gravel hill climb on the 18th of April.
